Volleyball, coffee and cliches
by alicante-notthecity
Summary: A story of misunderstandings, jumping to conclusions, and (mostly) wholesome shenanigans. Who knew bumping into the same person over and over could turn your life upside down? Also, is Kuroo questioning everything he knows about romance? Chaos ensues when a former volleyball player is asked to be the male Nekoma team's new manager.
1. Prologue

**Title is in the works so it might change later on.**

* * *

Prologue

The deafening cheers of the crowd filled the court. It was the third set and the Nekoma female volleyball team only needed one point to win. Despite the dissonance from the cheers of the opposing teams, the atmosphere was tense for those on the court. Their opponent called for a time out and so both teams went to their respective benches.

"Now listen here," the Nekoma coach began. "Our opponent is clearly freaking out and that leads to more desperate moves."

"So, what you're saying is they'll try to surprise us with a different play?" The Nekoma captain asked.

"Right, so all I need you girls to do is relax and play as you usually do. Believe in yourselves, you have made it this far after all."

This was the match that will decide whether the Nekoma team would enter the nationals or not. Being so close to victory means that they will make careless mistakes as well and the team knows this. The third years were talking amongst themselves trying to calm their nerves. Their second-year ace was off to the side stretching her knees. She had felt something off about them since the 2nd set but she didn't want to alarm her team. Truth be told, her knees have been feeling off every now and then. Seeing as it goes away after a bit of rest, the ace chalked it up as nothing to really worry about.

"Sakura-san," the second-year setter called out softly to the ace.

"What is it?" the ace looked up to find that the setter was looking at her worriedly.

"Are you okay? You've been stretching quite a lot since the 2nd set."

"Don't worry about it Mei, let's just focus on this match." Sakura replied.

Mei was about to say something when the referee blew the whistle signaling that time out was over.

"Alright team, let's give it our all!" The captain cheered.

The Nekoma team served and the ball was up in the air. The opposing team easily received and started setting up a spike. The Nekoma team's middle blockers jumped, ready to shut her out. When suddenly she hits a cross instead of a straight. They could tell it was a desperate effort to surprise the Nekoma team and lead them into a deuce. Nekoma's libero luckily saw through it and received the ball. Takahashi Mei, Nekoma's setter, positioned herself, ready to set the ball.

"Sakura!" Takahashi yelled. She believed their ace would score the winning point.

Miyamoto Sakura ran and jumped with all her might. The set was perfect. Everything from the height, distance from the net, just everything was falling into place. Miyamoto spiked the ball and blew through the opposing blockers with such force they stumbled and fell as they landed. The crowd went wild. If the cheers were deafening earlier, this time it was on a whole other level. However, the cheers drowned out a scream of pure pain as Miyamoto landed and her left knee gave out. Takahashi immediately noticed and ran to her best friend who was on the floor clutching her knee. Her other team members were hugging each other until they noticed their ace was missing.

Her whole team ran to her. A chorus of senpai, Miyamoto and Sakura coming out from their mouths. The crowd goes silent. Only the sounds of gasps, whispers and Miyamoto's pained breathing could be heard. The medics came in with a stretcher. They removed her knee pads further inspect her injury. Every small movement they made aggravated the pain as the ace continued to yelp out in pain. They tried to sit her up, but the agonizing pain made it impossible.

The medics talked amongst themselves before taking her away with the Nekoma team following close behind. Takahashi came up to the medics with tears in her eyes.

"She'll be okay right? Please tell me she'll be okay!?" she pleaded desperately.

"We can't say but we need to take her to the hospital now."

Takahashi stopped in her tracks as their words dawned upon her. She watched as they loaded her best friend to the back of the ambulance.

"Takahashi let's go!" one of her teammates called. Everyone was busy packing wanting to go to their ace. They silently hoped that everything will be okay. Their supervisor had gone ahead in the ambulance promising to update them. It didn't take long for the whole team to reach the hospital. They sat anxiously in the waiting room for what felt like hours until a doctor came out and told them the news.

It was a grim day for the Nekoma female volleyball team. They may have won the chance to go to nationals, but it was also the day they lost their ace.

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**Okay, so I suck at writing writing action stuff but this might help me get better. This is also the first time I've written in a while so I'm super rusty. I'm sure there's a lot I can improve on so l****et me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Aight here we go! This chapter might seem like part of the prologue but I felt like I needed to put this here to introduce the context in terms of the timeline I'm going for. Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

Kuroo and Kenma were walking down the hallway heading to the nearest vending machine during their lunch break. Kenma was tapping away on his game, it seemed like he was about to enter a boss battle.

"We could've won a chance to go to nationals if they didn't bench you." Kuroo said irritated.

He was talking about their recent spring tournament match. The 3rd years had selfishly benched Kenma despite him being the superior setter on the team. Kuroo couldn't say much against them as he was a 2nd year himself.

"You don't know that, anything can happen during a match," Kenma replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah well when I become captain next year, I'm not going to let seniority get in the way of anyone who has the skills to stand on the court."

"At least the female volleyball team made it to nationals, apparently this is the first time they've made it that far."

"Yeah but I also heard that their ace got injured recently. I wonder how they'll do in nationals without-"

Kuroo got cut off as he rounded a corner and bumped into someone. A hard thump and clattering were heard. Kuroo was about to go off on whoever it was when he realized that he had bumped into an injured girl. Her crutches lay on the floor beside her and she was biting her lip as if holding back a yelp of pain. Kuroo quickly got up and offered a hand to help her up.

"Sorry I wasn't looking where I was going and-" Kuroo stopped as he noticed that she had completely ignored his help.

She gathered her crutches and slowly stood up using the wall as support. Her bangs were covering her eyes so he couldn't take a good look at her face. She was about to walk off when he noticed a white envelope on the floor.

"Hey wait!" Kuroo called. "You forgot this."

She turned and looked at Kuroo's outstretched arm. He held a white envelope that said 'Resignation Letter' on it. She quietly grabbed it and gave him a small nod before walking towards the teacher's lounge.

"Man I wonder if she's resigning from her club due to that injury." Kuroo pondered out loud to no one in particular.

Kenma thought about how dumb Kuroo was for not putting two and two together but decided not to comment on it as he focused on his boss battle.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" the teacher asked as she looked at the girl in crutches handing her a white envelope.

She gave a small nod. The teacher gave a sigh.

"You know, the team and I wouldn't have minded if you stayed. We understand that you can't play competitively anymore but the doctor said playing casually every now and then is fine too. In fact, you can help train others."

The girl didn't say anything. The teacher gave out another sigh.

"Just know that we'll welcome you back anytime and you can come visit whenever. Don't close yourself off like this, everyone's worried about you, Miyamoto-san."

Sakura thought that she had already cried enough but her vision started to blur, and this was the last place she wanted to breakdown. The teacher noticed her lip started to quiver and knew better than to press on.

"Take care, Miyamoto-san."

Sakura gave a small nod before leaving the teacher's lounge. As she slid the door shut her tears overflowed and started streaming down her cheeks.

'_I have to leave.' _She thought to herself.

She wiped her tears and headed towards her classroom to gather her things. She couldn't stand being around people right now, she's not ready to be confronted by her teammates in this state.

No, ex-teammates. She's no longer a part of the team.

As Sakura walked into her classroom, she could feel the gaze of her peers.

_'Move faster. Leave before anyone confronts you.' _She thought to herself.

"Sakura-san!" A voice called as she was about to leave the classroom.

Sakura knew who it was and she is the last person she wants to see right now. Knowing just how emotional this person can be, Sakura couldn't bear the thought of this person seeing her breakdown. She tried to scurry off as quickly as she could but that person managed to catch up to her.

"Sakura-san please, don't shut me out like this." The person pleaded.

Sakura turned towards the voice and it was none other than her best friend, Mei. She had a worried look on her face. Sakura's facade had started to crumble.

"Please, I-"

"Where do you think you're going?"

Mei turned around and saw the school nurse walking towards them. Sakura took this chance and left as quickly as she could. Mei heard the clacking noise of the crutches and was about to call out to Sakura again.

"Takahashi-kun, get back to class, the bell's about to ring." The nurse said.

"But sensei-"

"It's okay, I'll handle it." He said in a definitive tone.

Mei stood still for a bit before she reluctantly went back into her classroom. The nurse watched as Sakura kept walking further from him. He knew what happened and Sakura's father had already briefed him on her condition. He knew whatever he would say to her would fall on deaf ears.

The bell rung signalling the start of class. The nurse gave out a frustrated sigh.

"Guess I'll say she's not feeling well and I gave her permission to go home."

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**There you have it~ Kinda short yeah but as I said I wanted to add this in for a little bit of context. Also, thank you so much to those that followed and favourited! I truly appreciate it :) Seeing the notification saying that some people are actually intrigued by the prologue made me even more excited to work on this story! I'm aiming for weekly updates so expect chapters to come out sometime on Fridays!**

**As always, let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oof I almost forgot to post today XD It's been a hectic week but at least spring break's coming soon~**

**Anyway, thank you so much to the new people that followed/favorited my story, it really means a lot to me!**

**Thank you so much to Yuuko Aosagibi and Guest for leaving reviews! You have no idea how much I freaked out when I saw them XD. I'm glad you guys like how the story's going so far I hope not to disappoint!**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

It's the first day of school. Kuroo is a 3rd year now and he had been chosen to be the next captain of the male volleyball team. He is on his way to Kenma's house to pick him up for morning practice.

'_This year is going to be different,' _he thought to himself. _'We'll definitely make it to nationals this time.'_

He rounded a corner and bumped into someone. A sense of déjà vu hit him, but he didn't think much of it. The person he bumped into had dropped her phone when they clashed.

"My bad, I wasn't paying attention," she said as she reached down to grab her phone.

As she stood up Kuroo noticed that she is tall, almost his height even. Then he noticed that she's wearing the Nekoma female uniform. Before he could apologize, she had already walked off and he heard a soft 'damn, the screen cracked.'

The first day is a half day and most of the classes had been introductions and students settling into their new circle of friends. Kuroo recognized a couple of familiar faces from his previous year but no one on his volleyball team. Clubs still had practice but today they get to recruit first years and club practice will be demonstrations. Kuroo hoped that they could get a few good first years on their team.

As he gathered his things to leave for the gymnasium, he noticed a familiar figure a couple of tables across from him. It was the girl he bumped into this morning. She was gathering her things as well when her phone rang. She grabbed her bag as she answered the call.

"Oi Kuroo!" Yaku hollered. "Let's go before the other clubs take all the first years!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming!" He replied.

Kuroo wasn't trying to eavesdrop but he was heading the same way so he can't help but hear her conversation.

"Yeah, I'm about to leave."

"Does the boss need an extra hand? I can come in early."

"Okay I'm on my way now. By the way, if it's busy then why are you on the phone?"

She then chuckled softly at the response.

"Alright see you," she hung up as she reached her shoe locker.

"Sakura-san!" a voice called.

She looked over and quirked her eyebrow. "Mei, aren't you supposed to be at practice?"

Mei pouted. "I was waiting for you to walk by outside my classroom!"

"My bad, I got a call from work."

"Boo, I was hoping we could chat on the way to the lockers since we're in different classes this year."

"Sorry, maybe next time." Sakura gave an apologetic smile. "Tell you what, I'll bring you your favorite tomorrow."

"SCORE! That's a promise, right? Don't you dare forget!" Mei did a small skip and pumped her fist in the air.

Sakura chuckled. "I won't, see you tomorrow."

"See you!"

The girls went their separate ways. Yaku, Kai and Kuroo were right behind Mei as they were all walking towards the gymnasium.

"Takahashi-san!" Kai called.

"Oh, Nobu-kun! What's up?"

The two started conversing leaving Kuroo and Yaku behind them.

"Since when did those two get so chummy?" Kuroo pondered.

"Apparently they're in the same class and they're both vice-captains for the volleyball team," Yaku answered nonchalantly.

"Ehh.. Should we try and set them up?" Kuroo asked playfully as he put on his infamous smirk.

"If you have enough free time to think of such nonsense you should focus on getting us a manager. We're gonna need all the help we can get." Yaku answered in irritation.

"Alright geez it's only day one, pretty sure we can find a manager amongst the first years."

The group reached the gymnasium and headed towards their respective locker rooms. The rest of their teammates had already started changing to their sportswear.

"Kenma, how's your first day?" Kuroo asked.

"Nothing in particular happened." Kenma replied.

"Hee.. Did you even try to make friends?" Kuroo nudged his childhood friend.

"Everyone was already in groups, it's too bothersome to try to talk to anyone in that situation."

"Geez why did I even ask." Kuroo chuckled.

* * *

The first week of classes went by like a breeze. Sakura and Mei were eating lunch outside under a tree. Mei was animatedly talking about how her classes were going.

"Can you believe I got partnered up with some dude who barely contributes any work!?" Mei complained.

"Did you tell the teacher about this?" Sakura asked.

"He thinks that I just don't like my partner since we haven't started on any projects yet," Mei replied. "But whenever we're supposed to have discussions he keeps saying 'Ah just write whatever and we can submit that' like SERIOUSLY!?"

"Well when you do start working on a project you can just tell him that you did all the work."

"But doing all the work is hard~"

"Well.. you're not wrong, but it does prove your point that he doesn't do anything."

"Urghhh that's true…" Mei slumped in defeat.

The bell rang signaling that lunch was over. The two girls headed for their respective classes to grab their gym uniform. They both had joint gym class and so Mei was extremely pumped that she got to spend more time with her best friend.

"Alright, the boys will be playing basketball and the girls will be playing volleyball," the gym teacher announced.

"Ehhh? Why can't we play badminton?" One of the girls complained.

"You'll play that next week," the teacher replied. "Now separate into groups and remember that participation counts towards your grade."

Everyone began dispersing into groups while Sakura went off to the side and sat down. Mei was being pulled in every direction since everyone wanted a volleyball player to be on their team. Mei told them to settle it with rock-paper-scissors and went to talk to Sakura.

"Sakura-san, are you gonna sit this one out?" She asked.

"Yeah, sorry." Sakura replied and gave a small smile. "Have fun out there for me."

"Don't worry I will~" came her cheery reply.

"Takahashi! You're on our team!" One of the girls called.

"Okay!" Mei ran up to her team. "I'm guessing none of you know how to properly spike so if you guys can at least set the ball then you can just leave the rest to me!"

"Well, if you insist." One of them replied.

"Let's go team!" Mei cheered.

The game began and right off the bat Mei's team scored a point with her spike. It was clear from that point that this was going to be a one-sided game. Initially the opposing team didn't really care about the outcome as participation counts towards their grade. However, with each spike Mei scored her team grew cocky and started playfully mocking their opponents. This got on their nerves as they began to get frustrated at their inability to do anything against Mei. Mei was oblivious to all this as she was just having fun and for once she's not the setter of the team. She was on a roll and felt like nothing could stop her. While the teams were taking a short water break, Mei jogged over to Sakura. Sakura chuckled seeing a slight hop in her step.

"Nee, Sakura-san."

"What is it?"

"Is this what it feels like to be an ace?" Mei asked jokingly with fake tears streaming down her face.

"Pffft," Sakura held in a laugh. "I guess so."

A loud thump was heard and everyone brought their attention to the boys' side of the court. One of the boys fell face first to the ground.

"Oi, are you alright?"

The boy that fell slowly got up. "Urghh, I think I stepped on my shoelace and fell."

"Seriously?"

"Oi, his nose is bleeding, someone call the teacher!"

"Sensei, this idiot's nose is bleeding!" Kuroo hollered.

"Damn you Kuroo! I'm not an idiot!"

"Everyone, continue with your game, I'm taking this idiot to the nurse's office," the teacher announced.

"Why is sensei calling me an idiot too!?"

"Because only an idiot wouldn't tie their shoelace while playing a sport."

While the teacher was away, the game continued and Mei's opponents grew even more frustrated over the fact that Mei kept spiking over them.

"No fair! Why do you guys keep giving Takahashi the ball?" one of them complained.

"Obviously cause it's a definite point whenever we do," one of the girls on Mei's team replied.

"Urgh, fine then! Hey guys!"

The boys on the other court looked over.

"Not all of you! Just the tall guys! Get over here and block for us!"

"Hey that's not fair!"

"Of course it's fair, we're evening the playing field."

"YOSH! I'm up for the challenge!" Mei was getting fired up.

"Ehh, sounds like fun. Let's help out," Kuroo suggested to Kai and so they both walked over to the other court.

One of the girls on Mei's team did an underhand serve which Kuroo received easily. Kai set the ball and Kuroo spiked. The girls on Mei's team ran away not wanting to get hit by the ball but Mei dived as if her life depended on it. The ball was still in play.

"Someone set the ball!" Mei yelled.

"I-I got it!" One of the girls replied and sloppily set the ball. Mei quickly stood up and ran to spike. As she jumped and spiked, Kuroo easily read her and blocked her. The ball slammed straight down to the floor on Mei's side of the court.

"Arghh! Damn it!" Mei yelled out.

"Kuroo, nice block." Kai said as he high-fived Kuroo. Kuroo gave out a small laugh and directed a cheeky grin towards Mei.

Mei was fuming and muttering to herself. Sakura thought it was adorable that Mei took this game seriously. The game continued in a similar fashion. Kuroo was marking Mei consistently and this fueled her rage even more. Mei's teammates kept complaining about how this isn't fair. Mei herself was more frustrated that every tactic she tried didn't work against Kuroo. She knew Kuroo is excellent at read-blocking but she had never experienced it first hand. Sakura saw the look on her best friend's face and she could tell her gears were grinding trying to figure out different plays. Sakura knew that with her current team the plays they could do were limited since none of them were skilled players. Sakura felt sorry for Mei but knowing her, she would never blame her teammates and would most likely just be frustrated that she couldn't carry her team like she promised.

Wanting to ease her best friend's worries, Sakura stood up and shrugged off her jacket. She walked over to one of Mei's teammates and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Mind switching?" Sakura asked.

"Tch, whatever." The girl walked off the court. "It's a losing game anyway."

Sakura walked over to Mei seeing as she was too deep in thought to notice the player change.

"Mei, why don't you cool off and set the ball this time?" Sakura suggested.

"Eh? What are you doing here Sakura-san? Also, who's gonna spike?" Mei asked, confused.

"Leave it to me."

Sakura's words sunk in and Mei immediately understood. A girl from the opposing team did an underhand serve. Some of the girls on Mei's team were about to receive when Sakura swiftly ran past them and perfectly received it.

"Mei!" Sakura called.

"Sakura!" Mei called back.

It was the toss that she perfected just for Sakura. The exact height and distance from the net that Sakura favored. The toss that she never thought she'd make again. Sakura's muscle memory kicked in. She had not spiked since the incident. In fact, this gym class is the first time she's played volleyball since then. Sakura jumped. Kuroo on the other side of the net also jumped ready to block her.

"Hmph," Sakura gave a small smirk and slammed the ball.

Kuroo not expecting such force was literally blown away and landed on his behind. Everyone gasped. Mei ran towards her best friend.

"SAKURA-SAN!" Mei hugged her from behind and began twirling her around with tears of joy streaming down her face. Whether it was from scoring a point or her doing a spike Sakura didn't know but she laughed at how ridiculous they must look.

Kuroo thought back to the spike. He was sure she purposely aimed it at him or more specifically his finger tips. She wanted to literally blow him away. The smirk he saw on her face made him all the more sure that she purposely did that because he had blocked her friend earlier. Either way, that level of spiking wasn't something he expected from a random game like this. Kuroo was still on the ground dumbfounded as he looked up at the girl who was finally put down after all the twirling shenanigans. Confusion and intrigue filled his mind as he thought to himself,

'_Who are you?'_

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**There you have it guys! Their "first" confrontation XD.**

**Again, I'm not that good at writing action scenes but let me know what you think! I'd like to know how I can improve and make it more enjoyable for you guys to read!**

**See you next week!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update! This past week has been crazy hectic and my dumbass decided to pick up extra shifts at work...**

**To make it up to you guys I'm doing a double update so the next chapter's already up!**

**Thank you Heartshinelove and sndlr for your reviews! I really am glad to see that you're enjoying the story so far.**

**Also thank you to those who followed/favorited my story!**

**I hope you'll like this chapter, enjoy!**

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Chapter 3

"-kura-chan… Sakura-chan!" a voice called.

Sakura broke out of her dazed state. She looked over to the source of the voice and it was her boss.

"Sweetie you've been holding that pitcher for over a minute, do you want Taka-chan to take over for you?" He asked worriedly.

"Sorry Goro-san, I'll get right on it." She replied quickly pouring some milk into the pitcher.

It was a slow day at the cafe which is not good for Sakura as she needed something to distract her today. Earlier that day she had played her favorite sport for the first time in what felt like ages. In the moment she felt ecstatic but once her actions finally sunk in, she began feeling conflicted. This led to a lot of spacing out on her part.

As she was about to pour in the milk into the cup a hand stopped her.

"I got this, why don't you take a quick break?" Her co-worker, Takashi, suggested.

Sakura took a step back and watched as Takashi poured in the shots before creating the latte art on top with milk. He then placed it on a tray and walked over to the table where a customer sat. He placed the order on the table while exchanging polite pleasantries before walking back to the bar.

"So what's been on your mind?" He asked.

"A lot," she replied.

He chuckled. "I can tell that much from how distracted you've been since coming in earlier. You wanna talk about it?"

"I think I just need a distraction, is your band playing tonight?"

"Actually we are, wanna come?"

"I'd love to," she gave him a small smile.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Her boss asked after coming back from filling the pastry case.

"I'm okay Goro-san, sorry about earlier." She apologized.

"Seeing how slow we are today, why don't you clock out early? Sacchan should be coming in a bit anyway." He offered. "Taka-chan's getting off early too so he can take you home."

Sakura was about to protest when Takashi started pushing her towards the employee's lounge.

"Okay let's head out, see you tomorrow boss!"

"Take care~"

Once inside the lounge Takashi swiftly made his way to his locker to change out of his work clothes.

"Why'd you do that? I didn't mind staying a little longer." She pouted.

"Oh shut up, I'm taking you out with me whether you like it or not."

"What makes you think I'll let you?"

"Because I'm giving you a distraction of a lifetime so better get changed quick love," he winked.

Takashi took Sakura all over the place and each time she started to daze off he quickly changed venues. He tried making conversation with her never letting the silence between then grow longer than a few seconds. Feeling more in the moment, Sakura finally grew more invested in her surroundings and the friendly banter with her companion. She then realized something about the places they went to.

"Takashi," she called.

"Yeah?"

"Did we just go through all the places we went to when we were dating?" she asked.

Takashi laughed. Sakura gave out a sigh and smiled at his outburst.

"I didn't think you'd notice, but then again, I wasn't trying to be subtle." he said as he tried to catch his breath after laughing so hard.

"Being subtle was never your best trait," she replied. "You're not trying to get back with me are you?"

"No no no no no! No. I just thought you needed a little change of pace." he said as he held back another laugh. "Plus, I'm guessing you haven't been to any of these places in awhile."

Sakura gave a sad smile.

"Yeah, it doesn't help when your partner wants to keep things on the down low."

"Hmm… How are things going with your secret lover anyway?" He asked.

"To be honest, I… I don't know."

Takashi gave a moment for Sakura to collect her thoughts, to let her air out any grievances. However, she was silent and Takashi knew not to prod any further. He extended an arm to gently pull Sakura's head to his chest, letting her rest there.

He caressed her hair. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything."

Sakura did just that as he continued to pat her head in silence.

* * *

That night, Sakura and Takashi were backstage in a room with the rest of Takashi's band members. Some have already started taking shots of tequila to calm their nerves. Takashi just got back from his 3rd smoke break and Sakura could tell he was tense.

"Why are you guys so nervous?" She asked. "You've played here plenty of times before."

"Yeah well they've got some big names out in the crowd tonight and it's a chance for us to get our names out there as long as we don't mess up." The drummer, Suzuki answered.

"We can't afford to mess this up, come on let's get ready." The vocalist, Honda, added. He's trying to shake off his tenseness as he downed another shot before standing up to prep himself.

Sakura didn't understand how alcohol would help in this situation but she's seen them perform drunk and they weren't half bad. She still thought they would do fine without it but people get over their nervousness in different ways. She hoped none of them would throw up on stage after downing half the bottle collectively.

"Alright, wish me luck," Takashi said.

"Always," Sakura replied.

Takashi and his band members went up on stage and the roar of the crowd greeted them.

"We are The Marks! Are you ready to rock tonight!?" Honda screamed.

The crowd cheered even louder. The members nodded to each other and Suzuki began tapping her drumsticks together to start a rhythm. She started a solo for a few bars before the rest of the members joined in. The crowd screamed even louder. Sakura stood to the side of the stage, hidden from view. She gave out a sigh of relief and smiled. The alcohol had not hindered their performance one bit.

The band performed a handful of songs and the crowd loved them. By the last song, Sakura noticed Honda's singing had slightly slurred. She was thankful that it was their last song or else he might begin singing in gibberish. After finishing their last song Takashi took the mic seeing as Honda was starting to sway.

"Once again we are The Marks! Have a good night!"

The deafening cheers could still be heard as they exited the stage and headed to the waiting room. The next band had already gone up to perform their set.

"Fuck that was intense," the bassist, Yamaha, sighed in relief.

"Language!" Honda slurred. The group just laughed at his response.

"I'm heading to the bar, what about you?" Yamaha asked.

"I'm gonna take care of this drunk oaf, you guys go ahead." Suzuki replied.

"Alright let's get our drink on!" Takashi cheered.

"Takashi, we're still underage." Sakura deadpanned.

"I know the bartender, we'll be fine."

"Well you're driving so I don't wanna have to walk back after this."

"Yeah yeah, I promise I won't get drunk."

The trio headed out to the bar and Yamaha ordered some drinks. She handed one to Sakura.

"I don't think I should drink tonight," she said.

"Don't worry it's a mocktail, I'm not gonna get you drunk with all these people around." Yamaha reassured her.

Sakura scoffed. "Thanks," she replied.

As the three took sips of their drink, they yelled over the crowd trying to make conversation. They playfully talked about random people in the crowd making guesses on their age and day job. It was all fun and games until Takashi pointed out a girl in the corner leaning up against the wall. Said girl was talking to a guy beside her and she was being very touchy with him. He seemed to like the attention as he leaned closer to her.

"I bet you she's married to some rich dude and is looking for a quick hookup cause her sugar daddy can't get it up." Takashi jokes.

"Why the hell would some rich lady be hanging out in a dump like this?" Yamaha asked.

"Maybe she likes them bad and young? In contrast to her glucose guardian being all old and stuff." Yamaha laughed at this.

"Can I get a shot of vodka?" Takashi asked the bartender. Then he noticed Sakura was staring intently at the girl he singled out. "You good there?"

"Shot of vodka," the bartender said as he placed the drink on the counter. Sakura didn't reply and grabbed the drink. She downed in and slammed the shot glass onto the counter before heading to the corner. The man was about to lean into the girl to kiss her when Sakura grabbed his shoulder and punched him on the nose. The guy went out like a light.

"Sakura! W-what are you doing here?" The girl stuttered.

"I should be asking you the same thing, you said you were out sick. You refused to let me come visit you. What other excuse do you have for me now?" Sakura demanded.

"I-I swear it's a misunderstanding! Let me explain myself!"

"I've got all night."

"W-well… y-you see…" she began but she couldn't continue.

Sakura could tell she was trying to come up with another excuse. Teeming with anger she turned away bumping into Takashi who had been standing behind her. Knowing he had not had that much to drink she grabbed his arm ready to leave the place.

"Sakura wait!" The girl called but her voice got drowned out by the cheer of the crowd.

"Woah woah, where are we going?" Takashi asked in shock.

"We're leaving, I can't stand to be anywhere near her right now."

"Why are you taking me with you then?"

"You said you'll give me a distraction of a lifetime right?" Sakura stopped as they reached the waiting room. Her hands trembled in anger as she continued to clutch Takashi's arm.

"So distract me before I punch another poor son of a bitch because of her."

* * *

**Okay so this chapter is a little different. I wanted to show Sakura's life outside of school and the people she's with.**

**Next chapter is up, go read it!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Here you go, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4

It was early in the morning and Sakura was putting together a simple hazelnut latte to start the day. She got home quite late last night and had barely gotten any sleep. She poured the cold brew that she had left overnight into a tumbler to bring to school. She took thoughtful sips from her latte as she felt the swirl of emotions going through her since yesterday. A lot happened and even now she was having difficulty trying to sort everything out. After finishing her drink she cleaned up and left her house. Wanting to distract herself from her own thoughts, she put on her earphones and clicked shuffle on her playlist before going through her notifications.

Her screen was still cracked from when she dropped it on the first day of school and it created a spider web-looking pattern on her phone. It bothered her for a bit but she got used to it and frankly was too lazy to go get it fixed. She responded to some of Mei's texts and hesitated to open her next notification. It was a text from her 'girlfriend.' She wasn't sure what to call her at this point. Currently, Sakura caught her in a lie and feels torn. Having to deal with so many emotions from her relationship and playing volleyball again has already mentally drained her for the day. Sakura rounded the corner still looking at her phone and bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she muttered and continued walking still lost in her muddled thoughts.

"Morning Takeru," Sakura greeted as she entered the nurse's office.

"At least call me sensei while we're on school grounds," Takeru half-heartedly scolded her.

Sakura merely passed him the tumbler filled with cold brew and went to one of the beds and dropped herself onto it with an umph. Takeru immediately knew Sakura was feeling down and decided to sit on the bed next to her.

"What's on your mind today kid?" He asked.

Sakura had her arm draped over her eyes and she was silent for a few seconds trying to put her thoughts in order.

"I played volleyball yesterday," she finally responded.

Takeru stopped mid sip and put down the tumbler. "That's great! I didn't think you'd get back into it this early."

Sakura scoffed. "Didn't think so either but Mei can be very convincing even when she's not trying."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takeru inquired as he started sipping on his cold brew again.

"It was during gym class and her team was losing cause the other team got some guys who were pretty good at read-blocking," Sakura began. "I guess I just didn't like sitting around watching Mei get frustrated knowing I can do something about it."

"So it took your best friend getting beaten in an unfair match to get your ass up into the court?" Takeru teased.

"Well if you put it that way it sounds like I'm some brooding asshole who won't act till the last second," Sakura replied.

Takeru laughed. "So you do realize you've been an asshole?"

"Not. The. Point." Sakura replied slightly irritated. "I just don't understand why I'm feeling a whole range of emotions from elation to uneasiness. It's messing up my rhythm and I hate it."

Takeru stayed silent and continued drinking his beverage. He knew she had more to say.

"You would think that after getting the okay to play again I would jump at the chance but no, I was too damn scared and I still can't figure out why. Now that I've actually taken the first step I'm even more confused cause I don't know if I should be happy or not. Why the fuck am I feeling confused?"

"Language!" Takeru scolded. "But you are asking the right question."

"And yet I don't have an answer to it."

"Perhaps you already do but you just don't want to admit that that is the reason why you're feeling this way."

Sakura fell silent once more mulling over his words.

"And I'm guessing that's not the only thing you're dealing with right now?" Takeru asked noting the circles under her eyes.

Sakura let out a soft chuckle knowing that he's trying to change the subject. She sat up and looked at him dead in the face.

"I'm not gonna ask for love advice from a 37 year old man who has commitment issues."

"Geh!" Takeru playfully clutched his chest. "That cut deep kiddo."

"Stop calling me a kid, I'm not that young anymore." Sakura stood up and collected her things.

"I will if you start calling me sensei at school~"

"Takeru," she paused as she slid the door open. "Not gonna happen." Then she left to go to her classroom.

* * *

"SHE DID WHAT!?" Mei exclaimed.

"You heard me," Sakura replied.

The two girls were sitting outside under their favorite tree. Sakura was laying on the grass with her arm draped above her head.

"I'm giving her the cold shoulder right now cause I don't think I can face her properly."

"Sakura-san, I'll be completely honest with you and say that you need to break it off. She sounds toxic and I haven't even met her!"

Sakura lay silent looking at the leaves above her.

"Don't get me wrong, it's great you're in a relationship but come on you deserve better than that! If I was gay I'd treat you like those prince charmings treat their princesses!"

"You mean like kiss me when I'm asleep without my consent?" Sakura jokes.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"I know I know," Sakura chuckled. "But the thing is.. I think I love her.."

Mei put her bento aside and pulled Sakura into a hug.

"You heard it here folks! She's in love! My baby's growing up so fast." Mei fake cried as she stroked her hair.

"Geez stop, it's not that big a deal." Sakura replied slightly embarrassed as she pulled away from the hug.

"Oh come on, it's not everyday I hear you get all mushy like this."

"That's… Okay you're right."

"But on a more serious note," Mei began. "Are you sure? Cause as happy as I am with your revelation, I don't think she's a good fit for you. Or anyone for that matter."

Sakura chuckled at her best friend's bluntness. "I think I am, I don't know. I've just never felt this way towards anyone so it's hard to say."

"Well, you know what I think but I'm not gonna force you to make a decision you'll regret. But if anything happens, know that I'm here okay?" Mei smiled.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Sakura smiled back.

"Takahashi-san!" The two girls looked over to find Kai, Yaku, Kuroo and Kenma walking over to them.

"Did we expand our little lunch club without me knowing?" Sakura asked as she sat up.

"Oh nah, captain had some student council duties so she told them to come to me instead." Mei answered. "Nobu-kun, you made it! Took you awhile."

"Yeah well you just said tree and there's a whole bunch of trees around here," Kai jokes.

"Sorry I should've been more specific but I didn't want to keep Sakura-san waiting."

Sakura stood up. "I'll get you guys some drinks from the vending machine," she said before leaving. Knowing that they will probably be talking about some joint club activities, she knew she won't need to stay around.

"I'll go with you," Kuroo suggested.

"But you're our captain, you're supposed to be here. Let Kenma go with her." Yaku protested.

"Boss battle. 10 seconds." Kenma said as he tapped away on his console.

"Just fill me in when I get back," Kuroo said as he jogged away to catch up with Sakura.

"You could've stayed, I don't mind getting the drinks." Sakura said nonchalantly.

"Yeah but you don't know what Yaku and the others like plus I want to talk to you for a bit," Kuroo winked. Normally girls would blush at his charms but Sakura didn't even spare him a glance.

"You bumped into me this morning," Kuroo said out of nowhere.

"Oh I did? Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." Sakura apologized.

"It's fine. By the way, you seem to be pretty good at volleyball."

"What gave you that idea?" She inquired, not remembering giving this fact to him.

"You did spike over me the other day…"

"That was you? Sorry about that, no hard feelings right?"

"I'm more intrigued that you're not in the volleyball team with Takahashi-san. Why is that?"

They arrived at the vending machines and Sakura began to put in some coins.

"I have my reasons," She replied hoping to end the conversation with that.

"Are you in any other clubs?" Kuroo asked.

"If you count the going home club then yes."

"Are you interested in joining any other sports club?"

"No."

"What about as a manager?"

Sakura pressed the button on the vending machine harder than she intended. This caused Kuroo to flinch at the sudden aggressiveness.

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm a little cranky today." Sakura answered.

"No it's fine, I am asking you a bunch of random questions and you barely know me."

Sakura gave a small laugh. "So why are you asking me all these questions in the first place?"

"Well we're looking for a manager and since you're not in any other club I thought maybe you'd be interested in joining?" He asked.

Sakura gave out a sigh and weighed her options. "I'm a third-year though, wouldn't it be better to get a first-year manager?"

"Yeah, about that…" Kuroo began as he scratched the back of his head. "Our ace kind of scared off all our first-year applicants so…"

Suddenly Sakura burst out laughing. For some reason picturing a supposedly frightening high schooler scaring off the freshmen was something she found hilarious. Kuroo chuckled softly beside her not really knowing how to react.

"Okay, let me think about it," Sakura finally replied after her outburst. "A lot of things are happening right now and I'm gonna need some time to figure things out."

"Sounds good to me, I'm hoping for a positive reply." Kuroo gave his infamous grin which caused Sakura to smile.

"That shitty grin is gonna get you in trouble one day," she said.

"Not gonna lie, some guys have accused me of flirting with their girl because of it."

"Pffft, I can totally see that."

Sakura didn't notice it but Mei could see them interacting by the vending machines. After their little meeting was over the boys left. Mei curiously asked what Sakura and Kuroo were talking about. Sakura told her everything and Mei commented on how Sakura was laughing a lot in their small interaction. Sakura blamed it on her lack of sleep and stress but Mei thought otherwise. However, she kept her thoughts to herself as she watched her best friend slowly doze off.

* * *

**There you have it folks! I hope I'm not moving too fast with anything. I really wanted to introduce all the different OCs I have planned for this story. They play a huge role in Sakura's development and I wanted to introduce them into the story early on. Let me know what you think!**

**See you on Friday!**


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